Great changes! - Journal #15 (20)

This class really opened my eyes to a lot of the problems going on in the world today. From global warming to starvation in Africa, I feel I have become much more rounded as a global citizen and am now taking a proactive approach to the climate crisis and conserving food.

The field trips were awesome. My favorite, by far, was the trip to Ding Darling. I liked the fact that it was in an environment I was somewhat familiar with. The papers were all very interesting topics to right on and I enjoyed spending time on them. The discussion posts were good, but a classroom setting would have been much better for connecting with my peers. I plan on developing a recycling program and starting to make an effort to not waste as much food.

I think that a colloquium, such as this, should be required for all students nation-wide. This would inform the next generation and be beneficial to all of us. The next generation is going to unfortunately inherit the problems the current generation is creating. Programs need to be in place to educate the youth of this generation to live sustainably and reverse the devastating damage we have done to our planet.

Overall this class changed my lifestyle. I have a concern for the environment now, whereas before I had little concern for anything involving “conservation”. I am now thinking of opening a environmental consulting company somewhere down the lin. Before this class I was thinking of trying to get into the oil industry. Talk about a drastic change for the better!   

Feeding the impoverished (19)

I really enjoyed the field trip to ECHO for a couple of reasons. Firstly, I was able to meet two other kids from the class and discuss our opinions of the class; secondly I like the it is a Christian organization and all profits made are dispersed worldwide to help those in need.

Unfortunately, the actual field trip it was somewhat miserable. The mosquito population, due to the recent rainstorms, was out of control. In the midst of the constant battle versus the mosquitos, I actually did learn quite a bit and even tried some different types of foods. I really enjoyed seeing there exhibit of “urban farming” or “rooftop agriculture”. It was a simple means of providing food through farming in an area not normally considered farmable.

My next favorite area of the farm was the duck and tilapia pond and the goat house. These were both such simple designs, but had numerous benefits. The ducks were housed above a manmade pond stocked with tilapia, the feces from the ducks would fall through and feed the fish, when the fish grew to the appropriate size they would be eaten. The goat house was a similar concept: the house was elevated to keep the goats and other farms animals out of the gardens, but to still use their waste as fertilizer. Every farming technique designed there was completely sustainable and used around the world by missionaries with ECHO. It was such a neat experience and I would love to do it again out of rainy season.

Conservation in action, protect SWFL! (18)

During my visit to the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary I observed a dramatic change seldom seen anywhere else in nature. Walking down the boardwalk from the visitor center I traveled through three different types of environments within one hundred feet of each other: pine flat-woods, wet prairie, and the swamp. Pine flat- woods were created by changing sea levels during glacial times and are now a very important ecosystem in Florida. Pine flat-woods help to make many different products such as: various resins, perfume, soap, gum, and paint thinner. Pine flat-woods are a unique ecosystem because in order to prevent the ecosystem from being overgrown and allow new plants to grow the ecosystem needs to be burned. Fires are also important because they help break down the plants so that they can release their nutrients into the environment. I learned a lot about conservation on the field trip and how every person needs to try to live as sustainable as possible and try to preserve the environment. Florida is growing at a rapid pace and if we keep living the way that we are, our precious state will not be able to support us for much longer. Stewardship is the duty of each person to try to conserve and protect the environment. The Corkscrew Swamp supports this philosophy and tries to instill it upon its many visitors. The role of private non-profit organizations is extremely important because they educate the public on many environmental issues that they might not be aware of. Corkscrew Swamp charges a small fee for visitors to enter the park. These fees go towards many areas such as: maintaining the park, employees, and educational programs. Like-minded people can change the world by informing others about the issues at hand and by doing their best to live a sustainable lifestyle.

The motivation to protect the Cypress Swamp is because it is one of the largest remaining forests of Bald Cypress in the world. The government should fight to protect this forest and in the past there have been soldiers that have protected this land from being destroyed. A soldier was even killed while on duty protecting the forest. Destroying this forest and building condos would be a tragedy and would be terrible for Southwest Florida's ecosystems. There would be hundreds of species of animals and plants that would be killed and never seen again and building on this land would also be a major disruption to the sheet flow of the state.

Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is also home to an endangered species known as the wood stork. The wood stork went on the endangered species list in 1984 due to habitat destruction and over hunting. Fortunately, the Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary is home to the largest population of nesting wood storks and makes a very conscious effort to protect and preserve their environment. One of the ways they do this is through a system called the Living Machine. This “machine” is actually a combination of small plants, animals, and bacteria that feed on biproducts of human waste. As the waste travels from one area of the machine to the other, each specifically chosen organism removes some form of harmful substances. By the end of the machine, 90% of the water is reused to operate the bathrooms. A separate tank is used for the drinking water thankfully!

Something else of interest:

                                          

Calusa Nature Center - Journal #14 (17)

I chose to do my service learning at Calusa Nature Center & Planetarium off of Colonial Blvd. in Fort Myers. It was recommended to me by a couple of close friends who described it as “something fun, yet educational.” I of course was doubtful so I decided to check it out. They were right. On my first day there I mainly took on a student role and learned about the different animals they had and how to feed them and clean their cages. We started off cleaning Tails’ cage who is a brown fox that is suffering from random seizures. We couldn’t stay in the cage long because the veterinarian was examining Tails and he was getting a little aggressive.  Unfortunately I don’t remember any of the other animal’s names. After cleaning the Tails’ enclosure, we went and starting working with the raccoons, who were also in a fairly aggressive mood. We continued in a similar manner until every animal living at Calusa Nature Center had clean food, water, and a clean place to sleep.

The coolest thing to me was seeing kids who are much younger than I am, volunteering at Calusa Nature Center and truly enjoying themselves. These aforementioned kids were also very quick to put me in my place whenever I messed something up (which was quite often). The two days I worked at Calusa Nature Center were truly enjoyable. They have all sorts of different kinds of animals, from butterflies to alligators. The only thing I wish I could’ve seen was the seven foot alligator being fed. I guess that just means I’ll have to go back for the rest of my 80+ hours!  

The scavenger hunt! (16)

Today was probably the worst day to have gone up to downtown Fort Myers for my field trip. It was overcast and rainy and no parking was available because everybody was getting ready for the Fourth of July! Other than the battle for parking toward the beginning of the trip, I had a great time! I went with my girlfriend for moral support and what was supposed to be a two and a half hour field trip turned into a six hour shopping day! But it was good to go into all the art galleries and the old buildings, I was surprised at how good some of the art in the galleries were. I especially like a couple of the paintings in Howl Gallery, I never really considered myself someone who would be interested in art, but actually enjoyed it quite a bit.

One of the things that kind of disappointed me was that the chamber of commerce was closed. I was really hoping to learn more about the history of Fort Myers other than what we found out during the scavenger hunt. Centennial park was also pretty neat, the statue of Edison, Ford, and Firestone was awesome, three of America’s greatest inventors all sitting around a campfire just having a good time. The atmosphere of the downtown was awesome, lots of little cafes and shops, a couple bars, just a relaxing, fun place to go. I definitely plan on going back sometime in the near future, not to do a scavenger hunt, but to go for pure enjoyment.

Untold stories (15)

The two untold stories clips were really interesting. As a native Floridian myself I am pleasantly surprised at the historic value Fort Myers holds. When I was growing up, I heard all about the Edison and Ford estates and even went on field trips to see them, but I never really understood the importance those two men had to Southwest Florida.

I didn’t know that Fort Myers used to be named Fort Harvey and was named after a man with the last name of Myers who was in love with a Generals daughter. Also, I had no idea that Fort Myers was actually a function fort until after World War II and was home to the United States Colored troops.

There have been some terrific people that have resided in this area. Fort Myers is a tourist destination, not only for the Edison and Ford estates, but also for the Barbara B. Mann performing arts studio. I have never really been one to enjoy theater, but I have so much respect for Barbara B. Mann’s dedication to her passion. It is almost unheard of to have a building that sizeable named after a living person.

I am really looking forward to going on the field trip to downtown Fort Myers. I’m excited to see the culture and history that is preserved there. This is going to be my second field trip and I have a feeling it may be favorite of the four. As long as the scavenger hunt isn’t too difficult, it should be a great day!

Nah, that's not on my agenda - Journal #13 (14)

I was excited at first to read Endgame. I thought it was going to be about the intricate features of the diverse ecosystems in the Everglades. I have always been fascinated by the humongous swamp ever since I was a young boy growing up in Venice. Unfortunately I was unpleasantly surprised to find out that the twenty five page reading was ALL ABOUT POLITICS! I thought we had struggled through that portion of this class in the previous unit. It was somewhat interesting to see how the results of the Bush v. Gore presidential race were tied to a political and environmental battle over an airport. Other than that interesting piece of information that I will most likely never again need to know, I wasn’t fond of the reading.

I am glad that the bill was finally passed and that action is being taken to protect one of our last truly pure and beautiful areas in the country. As long as this current trend continues and the promises that have been made by policymakers and lobbyists are being kept, I believe the Everglades have a fighting chance for survival. There needs to be a balance between natural preservation and the consumption demanded by humans as a means of survival. This shows that politicians do have the means, even if it is still done to benefit themselves, to make polices and changes that are beneficial to the environment and the people who cherish it most. My hope is that the trend for environmental conservation continues into the future and our world continues to exist as it does today.

A path to biophilia - Journal #12 (13)

In his excerpt in the University Colloquium: A Sustainable Future David W. Orr talks about two things biophobia and biophilia. Biophobia is the fear of nature. Biophobiacs spend there days indoor and usually reside in big “concrete jungles” such as New York City or Los Angeles. Biophilia is the love of all things living, including nature, plants, and animals. Orr talks about our society’s recent move from biophilia to biophobia as we continue to try and dominate our surroundings. Orr goes on to talk about the downfall of our society if we do not begin to develop our sense of biophilia once again. He proposes five things that need to be done in order to each this. First he discusses the necessity of “the recovery of childhood” and how in order to achieve this we need to allow our children to be children, allot more time during school hours for contact with nature, and allow children to play in natural areas that have been preserved and protected. Secondly, Orr tells us we need to develop a positive sense of place and love the places around us. He suggests more “family farms, rural villages, communities, and urban neighborhoods” that will rebuild our ties with nature. His third proposal once again touches on our children and urges us to change the education system to teach more about living sustainably and less on competing in the global “rat race.” David Orr says, in his fourth point, “The biophilia revolution would be incomplete without our creating a new relationship with animals.” His fifth proposal talks about the economics behind the biophilia revolution. Orr believes in an environment that limits human enterprise relative to the biosphere. David W. Orr in his excerpt is essentially encouraging we take a step backwards and begin living much like they did in the stone ages, no economy, no roads, no skyscrapers.

Incentives, Incentives, Incentives - Journal #11 (12)

In the excerpt from A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold, Aldo talks about the possible future environment if we do not develop a “land ethic.” I agree that certain things have been done that have negatively affected the land we live on, but disagree with some of his points. He spoke briefly on living in harmony with the land and not living off of the land. I believe that plants and animals were put on the planet to be used by us to live comfortable lives. I am not saying that we do not have a responsibility to conserve the “biota” but I don’t think we should have to tippy toe around to avoid stepping on small insects or weeds coming up through the sidewalks.

Why should a farmer who makes a living for his family by raising crops and cattle perform “unprofitable acts for the good for the community”? If he is put forth his time, effort, and resources he absolutely should be compensated. Nobody asks restaurant owner to open up his business, his means of survival, to provide for the community without compensation. There is a difference between arguing for more sustainable practices and complaining because a land owner is doing what is most profitable for him. Incentives are what drive the economies of the world today. If you want something done about over farming, erosion, pollution, or any other type of environmental issue, then make it worthwhile for people to change their current habits and live more sustainably.